A Bridge To Better Sales

Chevrolet Traverse

A crossover vehicle is one that has most of the attributes of a truck-based sport utility vehicle but is more maneuverable and gets better gas mileage because it's built on a car platform.

The Traverse, which borrows its bold front end and styling from the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, joins the two-row Equinox in Chevrolet's crossover family. The Traverse will go into production in Spring Hill, Tenn., in the third quarter of this year.

The Traverse isn't coming a moment too soon for General Motors' Chevrolet division. Automakers have been racing to introduce more crossovers as the segment continues to grow in an otherwise soft market. Crossover sales rose 16 percent in 2007, despite a 3 percent decline in the market overall.

GM's Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Saturn Outlook crossovers were a bright spot for the automaker in last year's bleak market, and they continued to perform well in January. Acadia sales rocketed up 335 percent in January over the same month in 2007, while Outlook sales more than doubled. Those models all feature three rows of seating.

Chevrolet will also face competition from other new three-row crossovers this year, including the Ford Flex and Dodge Journey.

''We think the Traverse is the right vehicle for the right time,'' said Ed Peper, Chevrolet's general manager.

Peper said the Traverse drives like a smaller vehicle but is large enough to accommodate adults in the third row and will have a large cargo space. It also has sliding second-row seats for easier access to the third row.

The Chicago Auto Show opens to the public Friday after two days of media previews.